maharishi

Maharshi (Sanskrit महर्षि maharṣi, from महा mahā "great" + ऋषि ṛṣi "seer"; also anglicized Maharishi, see below; compare महाराज mahārāja vs. राज rāja)^[1] may refer to any number of individuals who have had the title added to their names, such as Shri Ramana Maharshi, an Advaita Vedanta sage of South India, or Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation program.

The word is a compound of two words: mahā or maha, meaning great either in quantity or quality, and ṛṣi or rishi, meaning a seer or one with awareness.

Corresponding to its two spellings, the word may be pronounced in two different ways: “Ma-har-shi” or “Ma-ha-ri-shi”. The first pronunciation follows Sanskrit rules of sound combination (sandhi) and is generally used by experienced speakers of Sanskrit. The second pronunciation (referred to as broken sandhi) is often used by beginners to the language but is still considered correct by experienced speakers. The spelling Maharishi is notably used by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Within India, the term is technically a title, not a name, yet it is often used as a term of address.

References

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